Promises
by Toruk'Makto
Summary: A sick boy, and a doctor who promised to find him a cure, smuggle themselves to pandora to get the help of the scientists there. Only to find the the RDA gone and the Na'vi in charge. Can the doctor still find a cure?
1. Chapter 1

As much as I wish I did, I do not own avatar.

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Promises

A teenage boy is laying on a gurney in front of a cryo chamber identical to the ones used by the RDA aboard their spaceships, but instead of a large chamber on a ship, this one is located in a clean white tile room in a hospital. He looks to be about 16 years of age, but he is obviously not healthy. His skin is very pale, having not seen much direct sunlight of any sort. His black hair is very lank and thin, his limbs are thin and wasted looking, His breathing is labored, and he suffers from continual tremors.

"W-w-whats going to h-happen to me?" he softly asked a young doctor leaning over his bed. "W-will I w-wake up again?"

"Of course you will" the young doctor promised "And when you do, we will get you all fixed up. You'll be running around in no time. Who knows maybe you'll even fly someday." the doctor smiled reassuringly.

"I could fly? d-do you promise?" the boy looked hopefull until the tremors made him grimace.

"I promise" the doctor said "I will make healthy enough to fly, no matter what I have to do."

the doctor stepped back as the orderlies lifted the boy into the chamber and strapped him in.

"goodbye" said the boy, and it was all the doctor could do to keep the smile on his face as he waved.

7 Years Later

'What a place to wake up to after a 6 year nap' thought the doctor as he pulled himself back to awareness after cryosleep. He was in a small, dirty, empty cargo room, that was retrofitted with a pair of crytubes. He smiled as he turned to the the crew member that was standing on his left. But when he saw the expression on the crew members face, his smiled died.

"Whats the matter?" he asked

"Somehow the RDA managed to piss off the natives enough that they kicked the RDA off world" the crew member responded with a frown. "The captain is not really sure what we are going to be allowed to offload. And that includes you Dr. Werner." the crew member gestured that they should exit the room.

"Oh crap, that's just perfect. Wait, why would you offload anything at all if there's no humans left on planet?" DR. Werner looked puzzled as he followed the crewman down the hallway toward the command deck.

"Oh sorry they didn't kick quite everyone off planet, the scientists are still there and a number of soldiers and other personnel were left. I'm not sure why they have been left though."

"The scientists are still there? Good, that means the avatar project should still be here." Dr. Werner looked relieved as they floated into an elevator and took it up a few levels.

The doors opened to the bridge and the doctor entered to the low voice of Captain Victor speaking with someone at the communications console of to the left of the bridge. The captain looked up as the sound of the door opening.

"Ahh, there you are doc, I was just talking about you. Come over here, Dr. Joseph Werner, meet Comm Specialist Andrea Kresnov." he said as he pushed off the console and made a beckoning gesture.

As the doctor sits down a late 20's brown haired woman on the screen speaks up. "So you want to come to the surface? I'm not sure if that's going to be possible at the moment. It's only been nine months since the fight and the Omitacaya are still very wary about any new people."

"Well I'm not a member of the RDA, In fact I'm not really supposed to be on this ship. I guess you could call me smuggled cargo." the Doctor said with a slight grin. "I brought some stuff that I had hoped to bribe Mr. Selfridge with, I can give you that."

"Well its not exactly up to us entirely, its part of the arrangement that we have with the Na'vi. They get the ultimate decision on who and what we are allowed to bring down." said the Kresnov.

"well is there anyway I can talk to them? I have a rather pressing need to speak with the geneticists that worked on the avatar program, particularly the ones in charge of the avatar bodies themselves." Dr. Werner said with a frown.

Kresnov's face took on a puzzled look, as she wondered at his strange request. "Well give me the short form of the story and I can ask, If they decide to talk I'll let you know."

Dr. Werner leaned back in the seat as thought about how to sum things up. "Lets just say I have a young teenager that is very sick with me and I believe I can cure him with help from some of the scientists here. Or if not cure him then at least allow him to live for a few more years."

Kresnov's eye's lit up with undisguised curiosity. "Ok I'll make sure to get back to you as soon as I have a reply. And Captain, I have a feeling that we will gladly take the majority of your cargo off your hands if your amenable"

The Captain grinned "Hey they paid me to deliver it to the base, never said who had to be in charge of the base."

The woman smiled "Until tomorrow, Captain, Doctor."

Dr. Werner turned to the captain without standing up. "So what do you do for fun on this ship?"

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Reviews are very much appreciated. And I'm still new to writing so any constructive criticism is welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

To my great regret, I do not now, nor ever will own Avatar.

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Promises

Chapter 2

The reply that the doctor was waiting for did not come that day. Or even the next, it took a full three days for any word to get to the Na'vi and back that someone wished to be allowed on planet. The Captain got his reply the very next morning, which frustrated Dr. Werner to no end, because he was not carrying anything of military origin. His cargo consisted of food and spare parts which, while not in short supply yet, the remaining humans wanted desperately.

By the time the Doctor had a reply, he had gotten entirely tired of the confines of the ship, and was so bored that he was helping the crew load the shuttle with preserved food when the captain's voice came over the intercom.

"Dr. Werner, someone wants to speak with you, come up to the bridge."

"You better go Joe" said the crew member right behind him in the cargo line. "Good luck"

"Thank you" He replied as he pushed the box he was holding toward the person next in line. "When I get back I hope I'll be on the ship not loading it." he said with relief.

He then pushed off of the floor and drifted his way toward the door, deftly avoiding the crew scurrying about the cargo deck, the last three days having greatly improved his skills in zero gravity movement.

He exited the elevator a few minutes later an quickly made his way across the bridge to the console he last used three days ago.

"Good to see you again Ms. Kresnov, you have good news I hope?" he said as he settled into the seat.

Kresnov smiled "Good and bad Doctor. Good news is that they are allowing you to come to Hell's Gate to speak with the Omitacayan Olo'eyktan, and the Tsahìk. Bad news is that the majority of the Na'vi are dead set against allowing any more people down on the planet."

Joe frown as a rock settled in the pit of his stomach. He had come prepared to beg and bribe his way onto the base through the RDA bureaucracy, and you can always count on human greed if nothing else. But he had no idea how to bargain with an alien.

'I'll find a way to convince them, I have to.' thought the doctor fervently. He looked at the screen. "I briefly went over the files that you sent. The Olo'eyktan, that is Jake Sully correct? And the Tsahik, is that Neytiri?"

Kresnov nodded on the screen "Jake is Olo'eyktan, but Mo'at is still the Tsahik, Neytiri will take over sometime in the future. Probably when her training is finished."

Joe's hopes went up a bit, Jake was from earth and had to have at least a passing knowledge of the illnesses on earth, and Mo'at was a mother, and he hoped that she would have the same mothering instincts that most humans women did towards a sick child.

"Hmm Ok, When do they want me to come down?" Joe asked.

"They will be flying in tommorrow, So you should come down as soon as you can. That way you can be ready and make a good impression." Kresnov said with a grin.

Joe nodded his head in agreement. "Well the shuttle should be loaded for the next trip in an hour or two, so I'll see you then."

"Hells Gate out" said Kresnov as she shut down the link.

"Well doc, looks like you get your day in court after all." Said the captain as he slapped the Doctor on the back, propelling halfway out of the seat.

Joe grabbed the console to steady himself as he replied "Lets just hope I don't get convicted. Now if you'll excuse me I better get my things and get to the shuttle."

The trip to the planet was uneventful, but breathtaking. Dr. Werner was sitting in the the jumpseat behind the co-pilots seat, because the cargo bay was full of cargo and the workers that would unload it. As they descended the Doctor gaped like a tourist at the lush green forest and sparkling blue water.

"beautiful isn't it doctor?" asked the pilot but all Joe could do was nod mutely.

"You'll never really get over the view, this is my third trip to pandora, and I've flown numerous trips down from orbit and it still amazes me." the pilot continued, as he adjusted the shuttles course slightly.

"There's nothing like this on earth anymore." said the doctor as he found his voice again. "I hope we can get something like this growing on earth again."

"You and me both" replied the pilot. He then leaned forward and turned on the radio.

"Hells Gate this is Lance 1 do you copy?" the pilot said.

"_read you loud and clear Lance 1" _came a male voice from the comm.

"We are approaching the base request permission to land." the pilot said.

"_You have permission to land at pad 2, someone will meet you to check your cargo and to direct the doctor to his quarters" _came the reply.

"Roger that, ETA is 5 minutes."

The shuttle touched down with hardly a jolt testifying to the pilots skill. The men in the cabin heard the cargo bay doors open and they quickly put on their exopacks before opening the cabin doors and heading out of the shuttle.

The pilots immediately headed to the back of the shuttle to help unload the shuttle with the rest of the crew, while Joe looked around with amazement. As he looked around he was convinced he was looking at the most beautiful thing he would ever see.

"Beautiful isn't it?" a tall lanky man, dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and and a grey t-shirt said as he walked up. "My name is Norm Spellman, I'm an avatar driver. And for today your tour guide." he said as he extended his hand.

"Everyone seems to be saying that to me" Joe said as he shook the proffered hand andintroduced himself. "Dr. Joseph Werner. MD, and yes it is. So, avatar driver to tour guide, who'd you piss off to get demoted?" he asked with a smile.

Norm smiled back as he picked up one of started walking toward the main compound. "I volunteered, I'm rather curious about why you want to strand yourself here."

"Well you stranded yourself here. So there is a precedent."

"I had ulterior motives, but I see your point. I'm guessing your reasons are pretty good then." said Norm.

"Its a rather long story, but the short form is, I brought one of my patients with me, a kid with Himmelbergers Syndrome. Heh he's not even a kid anymore, he's 15 but with the way the he is he always seems younger." replied Joe.

Norm winced when he heard what the teenager had. "And you think theirs a cure for Himmelbergers on pandora?" he asked as they walked into and airlock.

The airlocks cycles through and the two men hang up their exopacks and walk through the far door into the hallway before Joe replies.

"That's where the long story part comes into play." Joe shakes his head. "Long enough that I'd rather only have to tell it once, if you don't mind."

"I can wait till the meeting tomorrow to get the rest of it I guess." said norm, obviously curious, but not wanting to be rude. "Anyway its almost dinner time so I'll show you your room and then where to go to eat." He directed Joe down a side corridor off the main hallway.

"We decided to put you in one of the temporary guest quarters for now. Its not very roomy, but its close to the tarmac and the cafeteria. If Jake says you can stay then you can move elsewhere if you'd like."

They arrived at another hallway but this one is studded with doors. Norm opens one and steps to the side allowing Joe to go in fist.

"Home sweet home" Joe said as he looked around. "You weren't kidding when you said it was small."

The room was a 12 by 12 square with no windows, one narrow bed on the right side of the room, a Dresser of the left, and a desk with a rolling chair and a terminal in the back. He tossed his stuff on the bed and turned to norm.

"So what do you serve? Hopefully not that grey nutrient pudding they have on the ship." he said with a grimace.

Norm headed back toward the main hallway with Joe following. "Not any more, the first month was rather bland but we quickly found out that while most of the plant life is inedible by humans, we can eat some of the local fruits. We converted most of the hydroponics labs to growing vegetables and the meat is edible, even if it tastes a different. I believe its Hexapede steaks and salad today."

"Sounds good" said Joe

They walk in silence for a few minutes, before they reach the cafeteria. As they head inside a brunette in a lab coat hurry up behind them.

"There you are Norm, Max is looking for you in the link chamber." she then turned around and went back the way she came.

Norm sighed and turned to Joe. "Go get something to eat, I have to see what he wants. I'll see you later." he then followed after the brunette. "Hey Laura, wait up. Did max say what he wanted?" Joe heard as Norm went around the corner.

Joe turned around and went into the cafeteria, he quickly went through the line and got his dinner. He ate his meal as slow as he could hoping that Norm would return soon. When he did not Joe finished his meal and went back to his quarters.

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